Magnus Pym -- son of Rick, father of Tom, and a successful career officer of British Intelligence -- has vanished, to the dismay of his friends, enemies, and wife. Who is he? Who was he? Who owns him? Who trained him? Secrets of state are at risk. As the truth about Pym gradually emerges, the reader joins Pym's pursuers to explore the unsettling life and motives of a man who fought the wars he inherited with the only weapons he knew, and so became a perfect spy.
To be perfectly honest, I almost put this book down after the first couple of chapters. The reason I didn't was because I had already started and stopped five other books: Uncommon Grounds, The Magician King, The Forgotten Founding Father, Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell, and Ordinary Thunderstorms. I was determined to finish the next book I started.
I really liked the characters: Magnus, his wife Mary, his spy mentor Jack Brotherhood, and even his creepy father Rick. But the actual plot was buried underneath so many words. The timeline constantly bounced back and forth, and it was a little difficult to keep it all straight. I think it wasn't until I was 73% through the book that I felt it was difficult to put down.
I wouldn't say I hated it. I wouldn't say I loved it. I think I'll remember it well as it was rather different. But I won't rush out to read another of his novels in the near future. It didn't take me long to chose my next book. I immediately picked up the third book in the Thursday Next series, The Well of Lost Plots. Ahhhhh..... something familiar and comfortable. Plus, I need to finish all five before I go on spring break.
I've got so many on my list it will be hard to say what comes next.
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